Signal-controlling apparatus.



W. M. CHAPMAN.

SIGNAL CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

arrmon'lon FILED APR. 25,1908.

942,195. I Patented Dec.7, 1909.

- r- )F 51; IJII/F J I V R I 26 27 37 c l 39 w UNITED STATES PATENTOFFTQE.

WINTI-IROP M. CHAPMAN, OF NEEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SIGNAL COMPANY, OF KITTERY, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SIGNAL-CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. "7, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WINTHROP M. CHAP- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Needham, in the county of Norfolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSignal-Controlling Apparatus, and do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

The present invention relates particularly to signal controllingapparatus for use in connection with the block signal systems ofelectric trolley roads, although certain features of the invention areadapted for use in other relations.

The object of the present invention is to produce a signal controllingapparatus of improved construction and mode of operation, and with thisobject in View the invention consists in the combinations andarrangements, of parts, circuit connections and contacts hereinafterdescribed and claimed, the advantages of which will be pointed out inthe following description or will be obvious to those skilled in theart.

The preferred forms of the several features of the present invention areillustrated in the accompanying drawing in Which- Figure 1 is adiagrammatic View of a sig nal controlling apparatus designedparticularly to control the operation of a signal for cars passing inone direction; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a signal controllingapparatus designed particularly for controlling the operation of signalsfor cars passing in both directions; and Fig. 3 is a detail view, on anenlarged scale, of a portion of the mechanism indicated in Fig. 2. I

The essential novel features of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 area set of contacts arranged to be closed by the trolley of an electriccar, another set of contacts arranged to be closed by the wheels of thecar, and a signal controlling circuit which is closed by the closure ofboth sets of contacts.

The contacts which are closed by the trolley-are indicated at 1 and 2,and are arranged above a conducting strip 3 mount ed upon an insulatingblock or strlp 4 which in turn is mounted upon a support 5 secureddirectly to the trolley wire 6. The support 5 is so arranged withrelation to the contacts 1 and 2 that normally the strip is 3 is out ofengagement with the contacts and consequently the con tacts are open.Upon the passage of an electric car, however, the trolley wire 6,together with the support 5, is raised by the trolley, and the contactsare closed by the engagement therewith of the strip 8. The other set ofcontacts, which are closed by the wheels of the car, consists of aninsulated section of rail 7 and the opposite rail 8 of the track uponwhich the car travels, these contacts, as will be obvious, being bridgedor closed so long as a car remains upon the insulated section.

In the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 the signal controlling circuitincludes both sets of contacts in series, the contact 1 being connectedby a wire 9 to the rail 10 of the track which is connected by a wire 11to the rail 8, and the contact 2 being connected by a wire 12 to oneterminal of a magnet 18, the other terminal of which is connected by awire 1%, battery 15, and wire 16 to the insulated section of rail 7Since the two sets of contacts are included in the signal controllingcircuit in series, it will be obvious that the circuit can be closedonly by the closure of both sets of contacts, which closure occurs whena car passes on to the insulated section of track, the contacts 1 and 2being bridged by the elevation of the trolley wire which brings thestrip 3 into engagement with the contacts 1 and 2, and the contacts 7and 8 being bridged by the wheels of the car.

By the provision of two sets of contacts, closed respectively by thetrolley wheel and the wheels of the car, absolute certainty of operationof the signal controlled by the signal controlling circuit is insured,since the circuit cannot be accidentally or maliciously closed by thegrounding of the insulated section of rail or connecting it to theopposite rail or to the rail at either end of the section, nor can thecircuit be closed by a malicious closure of the contacts 1 and 2, or bythe accidental closure of these contacts while the car is at a distancefrom the insulated section, all of which disadvantages are incident tocircuit controlling apparatus heretofore devised.

It is desirable in apparatus of the character to which the presentinvention relates, that the signal controlling circuit be closed butonce during the passage of a car, in order that the signal controlled bythe circuit may be properly actuated. It is also, desirable to be ableto keep the signal controlling circuit closed during the passage of anumber of cars, so that the signal may be properly actuated when anumber of cars are run as a train. To secure these results, means areprovided in the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 for maintaining thesignal controlling circuit closed so long as the wheels of a car remainupon the insulated section, regardless of whether the contacts 1 and 2are kept closed or not. To this end the Wire 12 is connected by a wire17 to a contact 18, which is arranged to be engaged by the armature 19of the magnet 13 when the magnet is energized, and the armature isconnected by a wire 20 to the wire 9. By means of this arrangement, assoon as the signal controlling circuit is closed by the closure of bothsets of contacts 12 and 78, the contacts 1 and 2 are shunted, andthereafter the circuit through the magnet 13 is kept closed until thecontacts 7 and 8 are opened by the passage of the car or cars from theinsulated section of track.

The signal controlling circuit controls a signal by means of the magnet13 and its armature 19, the armature being provided with an insulatedcontact block or strip 21, which, when the magnet 13 is energized,bridges two contacts 22 and 23 of a signal circuit 2 1.

The apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 is designed primarily for carspassing in one direction only. It will be obvious, however, that it canbe used for cars passing in both directions, but that the same signalwill be given, regardless of the direction in which the car is going. Toinsure electrical connections of low resistance between the rails 10 and8, and to enable the section 7 to be thoroughly insulated, the rail 10is connected to the rail 8 by a second wire 25, and the parts of therail 10 on each side of the section 7 are connected by a wire 26.

The apparatus illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 is designed primarily for useon a track or section of track in which cars pass in both directions,and is arranged to close one signal circuit when a car passes in onedirection, and to close another signal circuit when a car passes in theopposite direction. The essential novel features of this apparatusconsist of two magnets which are energized successively by the passageof a car, and which are provided with armatures arranged to cooperate inclosing a signal circuit, the energizing of but one magnet failing toclose a signal circuit, and the successive energizing of both magnetsbeing necessary to close the circuit. In the arrangement illustrated,the magnets when energized in one order close one signal circuit, andwhen energized 'cuit is indicated at 30.

in the reverse order, close another circuit. It will be obvious,however, that an apparatus embodying the principle of the apparatusillustrated in Fig. 2 might be used to close the same signal circuit forcars going in both directions, or might be used on a track or section oftuck in which cars pass in one direction only.

The two magnets of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2 are indicated at27 and 2,. Each of these magnets is included in a signal controllingcircuit similar to that illust 'ated in Fig. 1, each circuit includingcontacts arranged to be closed by the trolley of an electric car andcontacts a1 anged to be closed by the wheels of the car. The insulatedrail section forming one of the contacts in the signal controllingcircuit which includes the magnet 27 is indicated at 29, and theinsulated rail section constituting one of the contacts of the othersignal controlling cir- Each signal eoi'itrolling circuit is alsoprovided with means similar to those illustrated in Fig. 1 for shuntingthe contacts which are closed by the trolley.

It will be obvious from an inspection of Fig. 2 that the signalcontrolling circuits will be closed. successively by the passage of acar in either direction, and that one magnet will be energized beforethe other is deenergized, since the insulated rail sections 29 and 30are in such close proximity that the forward wheels of a car will passon to one section before the rear wheels leave the other section. Thearmatnres of the mag nets 27 and 28 are engaged at 31 and 32. Thesearmatures, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2, are so arranged that when theyare drawn up successively their inner ends will overlap, the armature 31being on top when the magnet 27 is tirst energized, and the armature 32being on top when the magnet 28 is first energized. The armature 31 isprovided at its inner end and upon its upper surface with insulatedcontact strips 33 and 3-1:, and the armature 32 is provided with similarcontact strips 35 and 36. The contact strips 33 and 35 are arranged toengage a contact 37, and the contact strips 34: and 30 are arranged toengage respectively contacts 38 and 39. The contact 37 is connected by awire to the trolley wire and forms a portion of two signaling circuits,in one of which the contact 38 is included, and in the other of whichthe contact 39 is included. Upon the lower surfaces of the armatures 31and 32, and at their inner ends, are. provided insulated contact strips10, 4:], -12, and 13. electrically connected respectively to the contactstrips 33, 3 1, 35, and 36. The contact strips on thelower surfaces ofthe armaarmatures actuated, the contact strips which are on the armaturewhich 1s first actuated will be bridged by the contact strip on theupper suface and at the inner end of the other armature. The successiveactuation of the armatures will therefore close one of the signalcircuits, the circuit closed depending on which armature is firstactuated, while the actuation of either armature alone will fail toclose either signal circuit. Inasmuch as the armatures when attractedoverlap, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and the armature which is underneath'is actuated last, the upper armature will be supported after its magnetis deenergized, and the signal circuit will remain closed until the caror cars pass beyond both insulated sections of track.

In the apparatus illustrated in the drawing, and above described, eachsignal controlling circuit includes in series both the contacts whichare closed by the trolley and the contacts which are closed by thewheels of the car. It is to be understood, however, that while thisarrangement is preferred, other arrangements might be used withoutdeparting from the broad principle of this feature of the invention, andthat broadly considered this feature of the invention contemplates theuse of a signal controlling circuit which is closed either directly orindirectly by the closure of two sets of contacts bridged respectivelyby the trolley and wheels of an electric car. It is also to beunderstood that by the term signal controlling circuit is meant anycircuit which controls either directly or indirectly the operations of asignal.

The nature and scope of the present invention having been indicated, andapparatus embodying the several features of the inven tion in theirpreferred form having been specifically described, what is claimed is 1.A signal controlling apparatus, having, in combination, contactsarranged to be closed by the trolley of an electric car, contactsarranged to be closed by the wheels of the car, and a signal controllingcircuit closed by the closure of both sets of contacts.

2. A signal controlling apparatus, having, in combination, contactsarranged to be closed by the trolley of an electric car, contactsarranged to be closed by the wheels of the car, a signal controllingcircuit closed by the closure of both sets of contacts, and means formaintaining the circuit closed after one set of contacts is opened.

3. A signal controlling apparatus, having, in combination, contactsarranged to be closed by the trolley of an electric car, contactsincluding an insulated section of rail arranged to be closed by thewheels of the car, and a signal controlling circuit closed by theclosure of both sets of contacts.

4. A signal controlling apparatus, having, in combination, contactsarranged to be closed by the trolley of an electric car, contactsarranged to be closed by the wheels of a car, and a signal controllingcircuit including both sets of contacts in series whereby the circuit isclosed by the closure of both sets of contacts.

5. A signal controlling apparatus, having, in combination, contactsarranged to be closed by the trolley of an electric car, contactsincluding an insulated section of rail arranged to be closed by thewheels of a car,

and a signal controlling circuit including both sets of contacts inseries whereby the circuit is closed by the closure of both sets ofcontacts.

6. A signal controlling apparatus, having, in combination, contactsarranged to be closed by the trolley of an electric car, contactsincluding an insulated section of rail arranged to be closed by thewheels of a car, a signal controlling circuit including both sets ofcontacts in series, a magnet included in the circuit, and means actingwhen the magnet is energized to shunt the contacts which are closed bythe trolley.

7. A signal controlling apparatus, having, in combination, two magnets,means to energize said magnets successively upon the passage of a car,and armatures for said magnets cotiperating when the magnets areenergized successively to close a signal circuit and to maintain saidcircuit closed after one of said magnets is deenergized.

8. A signal controlling apparatus, having, in combination, two magnets,means for energizing said magnets successively in one order when a carpasses in one direction and for energizing said magnets in the reverseorder when a car passes in the opposite direction, and armatures forsaid magnets cooperating when said magnets are energized successively inone order to close a signal circuit and when energized in the reverseorder to close another signal circuit and to maintain said circuitsclosed after one of said magnets is deenergized.

9. A signal controlling apparatus, having, in combination, two magnets,means for energizing said magnets successively upon the passage of acar, and armatures for said magnets cooperatin when the magnets areenergized successive y to close a signal circuit, said armatures beingarranged to overlap whereby the armature of the magnet first energizedis supported by the other armature.

10. A signal controlling apparatus, having, in combination, two magnets,means for energizing said magnets successively in one order when a carpasses in one direction and for energizing said magnets in the reverseorder when a car passes in the opposite direction, and armatures forsaid magnets cooperating when said magnets are energized successively inone order to close a signal circuit and when energized in the reverseorder to close another signal circuit, said armatures being arranged tooverlap whereby the armature of the magnet first energized is supportedby the other armature.

11. A signal controlling apparatus, having, in combination, two magnets,means for energizing said magnets successively upon the passage of acar, and armatures for said magnets cooperating when the magnets areenergized successively to close a signal circuit, one of said armaturesbeing arranged 10 to be supported by the other after its magnet isdeenergized.

In testimony whereof I afl'ix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

WVINTHROP M. CHAPMAN. Vitnesses FRED O. Fisn, M. L. GILMAN.

